Chance scoring apparatus and method of using same

ABSTRACT

An amusement or game device and game adapted to be played therewith which can be played on any reasonably flat surface by any number of persons. The device comprises a bar adapted to be held in the hand and composed of a plurality of separate longitudinal sections, each section preferably bearing scoring indicia or markings on at least one surface thereof. In a preferred embodiment, the device is a cylindrical bar composed of a pair of mated half-cylinders. In a preferred method of play, a pair of mated half-cylinders is held in one hand and preferably similar pair of mated half-cylinders is held in the other hand. The two cylinders are struck together and dropped on a flat surface and the score marks visible on such surfaces of the fallen half-cylinders as are in a pre-agreed scoring position are counted.

United States Patent 1 Baltsas et al.

[111 3,721,444 lMarch 20, 1973 CHANCE SCORING APPARATUS AND METHOD OF USING SAME [76] Inventors: Stavros Baltsas, 279 Fullerton Ave.; Peter C Patsalos, 69 Valley Ave., both of Newburgh, NY.

[22] Filed: May 25, 1970 [21] Appl. No.: 40,122

[52] U.S. Cl. ..273/138 R [51] Int. Cl. ..A63f 9/04 [58] Field of Search ..273/l38 R, 138 A,146, 147, 273/161, 137 8,160, 1 R, 153 R,'134 D; D34/5, 15; 46/20, 27,29

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,003,203 5/1935 Kim ..273/l34 D D13l,480 3/1942 Patterson.... ..D34/5 3,564,735 2/1971 Fisher ..35/73 595,455 12/1897 Glidden ...46/24 UX 2,471,202 5/1949 Desaulniers ..273/l46 FOREIGN PATENTS 0R APPLICATIONS 622,674 12/1935 Germany .......273/] R 510,581 8/1939 Great Britain..... =47l,837 3/1951 Canada ..273/138 R OTHER PUBLICATIONS Scarnes Complete Guide to Gambling" by OHN Scarne, Simon and Schuster, New York, 1961, pp. 526-527.

Chinese Games with Dice and Dominoes" by Stewart Culin, Government Printing Office, Washington, DC, 1895, pp. 532-533.

Primary ExaminerRichard C. Pinkham Assistant Examiner-Arnold W. Kramer Attorney-McCarthy, Depaoli & OBrien [57] ABSTRACT An amusement or game device and game adapted to be played therewith which can be played on any reasonably flat surface by any number of persons. The device comprises a bar adapted to be held in the hand and composed of a plurality of separate longitudinal sections, each section preferably bearing scoring indicia or markings on at least one surface thereof. In a preferred embodiment, the device is a cylindrical bar composed of a pair of mated half-cylinders. In a preferred method of play, a pair of mated half-cylinders is held in one hand and preferably similar pair of mated half-cylinders is held in the other hand. The two cylinders are struck together and dropped on a flat surface and the score marks visible on such sur faces of the fallen half-cylinders as are in a pre-agreed scoring position are counted.

8 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures CIIANCE SCORING APPARATUS AND METHOD OF USING SAME BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention This invention relates to an amusement or game device adapted for use in a game of chance and, in particular, relates to a hand-held game device having matching parts of simple and sturdy construction and adapted for use in a game of chance by persons of all ages from pre-school children to adults. In particular, it is adapted for use by pre-school children as a development game.

From time immemorial, people throughout the world have played games of chance with hand-held devices that were shaken, tossed, thrown, or rolled onto a level or reasonably flat surface or dealt or uncovered. Many of these game devices often require little or no skill. One of the simplest forms of hand-held game devices is the well-known pair of dice. However, games employing a pair of dice, if this is the only equipment used, lack excitement or interest for small children, are difficult for them to shake and roll and are frequently found objectionable by their parents as associated in the public mind with gambling. Games which use a deck of cards as a chance device are entirely too complicated for children, require intense concentration for successful play, and are easily spoiled 'if the cards become sticky, damaged or bent. Other children's games, such as jacks, necessitate an intricate ritual which is not attractive to small children or to adults.

It is, therefore, an object of this invention to provide an inexpensive and sturdy hand-held game device which can be safely used by any number of persons of any age for playing a game on any reasonably flat surface.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a game device which is capable of use as a child-development' game which can be enjoyed by young children, such as pre-school children, and, also, by older children and adults so that it is adapted for harmless, mixed play, and which providesinterest in the form of excitement, mild exercise, some skill and uncertainty as to results, and, further, can encourage the development of certain skills such as matching and muscular coordination in young, pre-school children, and, also, introduce them to simple addition problems in arithmetic.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Further objects, advantages and capabilities of the game device of the present invention will be apparent from the preferred embodiments which are illustrated and described in the attached drawings and the description which follows.

In the drawings,

FIG. I is a perspective view showing four half-cylinders adapted to be combined into two whole cylinders to form a simple and preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIGS. 2 and 3 are perspective views showing the pair of cylinders of this invention, each formed of two matched half-cylinders, as characteristically held in a players hand ready for play.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a typical chance landing arrangement of the half-cylinders upon a flat surface; and

FIGS. 5 and 6 are perspective views showing variations of the whole cylinders which may be employed in the game device of the present invention, each cylinder composed respectively of three longitudinally matching sections in FIG. 5 and four longitudinally matching sections in FIG. 6.

Referring now to the drawings, each piece of the game device is a longitudinal partial section of a bar, preferably a cylinder. As illustrated in FIG. 1 each piece a half-cylinder 10 having a rounded surface 11 and a flat surface 12 and end surfaces 13.

At least one of the longitudinal surfaces of each piece preferably has thereon a distinctive mark or indicia to be used for scoring in the game of this invention..As illustrated in the drawings, FIG. 1, piece 10A has on its rounded surface near each end thereof a single scoring mark or indicia in the form of a notch 21 near each end. Piece 10B has two scoring marks 22, near each end thereof. Piece 10C has three scoring marks 23 near each end thereof and piece 10D has four scoring marks 24 near each end thereof.

While the players may obviously make up their own rules for games to be played with the device of the present invention, or may modify or vary the rules suggested herein by establishing local rules, the following is a preferred method of employing the game device of the present invention in playing a game.

The players take turns. Each player, when his turn arrives, grasps or picks up two half-cylinders, such as 10A and 10B, and places them in matching relationship by juxtaposing their flat surfaces 12 so as to form a full cylinder 15 which he holds in one hand as illustrated in FIG. 2. While an interesting game can be played with only one of the game devices of the present invention, the game will have substantially greater interest and excitement if two of the devices are used. Preferably, therefore, the player then picks up the other two halfcylinders, e.g., 10C and 10D, and mates them in a similar manner to form a full cylinder 16 which he holds or grasps in the other hand. The player then strikes one cylinder 15 against the other cylinder 16 as forcefully as he desires, as with slashing wrist motions, and, at the moment of contact of the cylinders 15 and 16, releases his grip thereon so that the half-cylinders 10A, 10B, 10C, and 10D are propelled (e.g., fall) to the playing surface, which can be a floor, table, lawn, sidewalk, beach, etc., and land in chance relationship.

The players score for that turn is determined in accordance with any agreed upon rules. In a preferred method of play, each player scores the results of his turn according to the number of scoring marks or indicia which are in a pre-agreed scoring position. Thus, referring to FIG. 4, only half-cylinders 10A and 10D which are resting on their flat surfaces 12 and thus have their rounded surfaces 11 with the scoring marks thereon uppermost and visible may be counted. Pieces 10B and 10C, since they are resting on their rounded surface and, thus, the scoring marks thereon are not readily visible, may not be counted in the score. Halfcylinder or piece 10A entitles the player to two points, while half-cylinder or piece 10D entitles the player to eight points so that that player has a total score of 10 in that turn. The players, in their successive turns, strike down the whole cylinders 15 and 16 as their turns arrive and keep repeating until one player reaches an agreed upon total number of points, such as 50 points, to win the game.

It will be apparent that various modifications can be made in the scoring. Thus, if one piece is overlaid by another, the bottom-most piece may be considered as disqualified and the scoring marks therein not included in the points even though the score marks are on a rounded surface which is uppermost and clearly visible. In another variation, two cylinders overlying one another can both be disqualified and not counted in the score regardless of whether their rounded surfaces and the scoring indicia thereon are uppermost and visible or not.

The individual pieces, e.g., longitudinal sections of cylinders, of the game device of this invention can be constructed of any suitable material, such as, wood, plastic, leather, metal and may be solid, hollow, foamfilled, or stuffed with wadding. They should be of such dimensions as to be readily held in the hands when assembled into a cylinder or other form of bar shaped unit, i.e., the assembled unit should be suitable to be grasped by a small child and its length should be such that, when grasped about mid-length, the end will preferably project slightly, at most several inches. For indoor play and use by small children, it is preferable that the individual pieces be constructed or coated with a resilient material such as rubber, in order to minimize marring of furniture and the possibility of bruises in the case of play by small children. For outdoor play, the individual pieces can conveniently be constructed of wood or rigid plastic. Thus, the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1 wherein the individual pieces are longitudinal half-sections of cylinders may conveniently be comprised of equal lengths of half-round wood molding, which can be placed together to form two complete cylinders. A form of individual piece which is particularly pleasing to small children comprises whole pieces of a clear, transparent, but tough, resin which is partially filled with a number of small, colored beads or chips or a colored liquid. In place of the beads or chips, which may be of plastic or of a tinkling metal, other objects, such as small bells, may be used.

For play on relatively hard surfaces, such as a floor or sidewalk, the individual pieces may be wholly constructed of resilient material or have only their end portions composed of resilient material so that, as the pieces drop to the floor, or other playing surface, if they land on their ends, they will bounce or rebound, often in an unexpected and surprising and interesting manner. When the individual pieces are provided with resilient ends, it may be preferable to load one end of each piece (as by constructing one end of rubber loaded with a heavy pigment, e.g., barytes or a metal powder) to encourage end landing of the pieces on the playing surface and thus promote bouncing or rebound since this tends to minimize the possibility that one cylinder will overlie another with the result that scores mount much more rapidly with fewer deductions for covered cylinders so that interest in the game is heightened.

In the form of game device illustrated in FIG. 5 each of the third cylindrical sections 50A, 50B, and 50C which form the cylindrical form of bar shaped unit there illustrated, are shown as having their ends 51A, 51B, and 51C constructed of a resilient material such as natural or synthetic rubber, while the main portion of each section may be constructed of a less resilient material, such as wood. An alternative form of resilient end construction, which is not illustrated in the drawings, would comprise a short telescopable cap over each end of the main body of each section, with the interior of the end of the cap being fastened to the end of the main portion of the body of the section by a spring.

While the present invention has so far been described in connection with the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1, wherein the individual pieces are longitudinal half-sections of a cylinder, it will be apparent that each whole cylinder may be divided into a greater number of matching longitudinal sections, such as three matching longitudinal sections, 50A, 50B, and 50C, as illustrated in FIG. 5, or four matching longitudinal sections 60A, 60B, 60C, and 60D, as illustrated in FIG. 6. Each of the longitudinal sections of the cylinders of FIGS. 5 and 6 may have scoring indicia on one of their surfaces, such as rounded surfaces 11'. In scoring a game played with the multisectional cylinders of FIG. 5 or FIG. 6, only those sections, a flat surface of which is resting on the playing surface, may be counted or, alternatively, only those sections resting on a rounded surface on which the scoring marks are hidden, may be counted. It will also be understood that, with any of the forms of cylinders employed in the game device of the present invention, scoring indicia may be placed on a flat surface or surfaces, if desired, and, if so placed, they may be omitted on the rounded surfaces.

It should also be understood that, for easy gripping, it is preferable that the game device of the present invention comprise a cylinder when assembled, it is not necessary that it form a true cylinder since, if desired, the game piece may have elliptical cross-section or even a polygonal cross-section, e.g., it might have a hexagonal or octagonal cross-section, and be composed of two or more longitudinal sections. For example, if it is of hexagonal cross-section, it may be divided into two longitudinal sections such as two sections of tetragonal cross-section, three sides of each sections being sides of the assembled hexagonal piece and the fourth side of each section being defined by a plane between opposite apices of the hexagon; it could also be divided into three longitudinal sections, also of tetragonal cross-section, of which two sides are sides of the hexagon and the other two sides are defined by planes extending from the longitudinal axis of the hexagon to alternate apices of the hexagon, the angle between such planes at the axis of the hexagon being or, if desired, it could be divided into six longitudinal sections, each of which was of equilateral triangular cross-section. If desired, instead of dividing it into matching longitudinal sections, it could be divided into various combinations of the above-mentioned, or other shape, so long as the sum of the angles between the sides or surfaces of the individual sections at their apex at the longitudinal axis of the assembled piece is 360.

The game device of the present invention may, therefore, be described as a bar-shaped unit, or prism, (considering a cylinder or piece of elliptical cross-section as a special form of prism), of polygonal to rounded crosssection and composed of a plurality of separate longitudinal sections which can be assembled into said bar shaped unit; each of these longitudinal sections is a bar, or prism, of polygonal or sectorial cross-section, at least one longitudinal side or surface of each of these sections will also be a side or surface of the assembled bar-shaped unit, and, when the bar shaped unit is composed of two matching half-sections, one surface of each of these sections will be a flat surface defined by a plane passing through the longitudinal axis of the barshaped unit (or it could be considered as defined by two planes radiating from the longitudinal axisof the bar-shaped unit, the angle between these. two planes being 180); however, if the bar-shaped unitis composed of longitudinal sections which are not matching half-sections, the'n two' sides. of. each of these sections will be flat sides or-surfaces defined by planes radiating from thelongitudinal axis of the bar-shaped unit. in order for the several longitudinal sections to be assembled into the bar-shaped unit, the sum of the angles between the flat sides or surfaces of the individual longitudinal sections at their apex along the longitudinal axis of the bar-shaped unit should be 360. It will be appreciated that, while theoretically, the bar-shaped unit of the present game device could be composed of a large number of longitudinal sections of varying crosssection, to do so could turn the assembling of the longitudinal sections into the bar-shaped unit into a puzzle, which would unduly complicate and detract from the interest in games played therewith; preferably, therefore, the bar-shaped units of the game device of the present invention will be composed of a reasonable number of longitudinal sections of matching or related cross-section.

It will be apparent that the game device of the present invention when employed as a child-development game, even in the-simple form illustrated in FIGS. 1, 2, and 3, employing the half-cylinder pieces there illustrated, gives the young child training in following simple rules, matching pieces, counting, and addition in scoring. At the same time, the game has sufficient interest that an adult or older child will find it amusing to play with a young child. Development of muscular coordination is also encouraged in the young child in striking the complete cylinders together and dropping them to the floor or other playing surface. As any young child's skill advances in playing a simple form of the game, such as that involving the use of half-sections of cylinders as individual pieces, one or more of the cylinders or 16 can be replaced by cylinders having a greater number of pieces, such as the tri-sectional cylinders of FIG. 5 or the quarter-sectional cylinders of FIG. 6.

While various preferred embodiments of the game device of the present invention and method of play therewith have been described, it is apparent that numerous variations, some of which have been described in greater detail above, may be made both in the construction of the game device itself and in the method of play or game to be played therewith without departing from the spirit of this invention or the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

l. A method of playing a game comprising the steps of:

A. each player in succession grasping in each hand one bar-shaped unit adapted to be held in the hand with its ends projecting at most several inches, each said bar-shaped unit being composed of a plurality of separate longitudinal sections of polygonal.to sectorial cross-section and each of said longitudinal sections having: l.one or two flat longitudinal surfaces defined by planes radiating from the longitudinal axis of said bar-shaped unit, whereby said longitudinal sections of each of said bar-shaped unit are assembled along said flat surfaces into said barshaped unit, and 2. a score indicia on at least one surface thereof, each player in succession striking said units together and propelling both of said units onto a flat playing surface whereby the longitudinal sections of each bar-shaped unit are arranged in chance relationship on said flat playing surface, and C. scoring the game by adding up the score indicia on any surfaces of said longitudinal sections in a preagreed scoring position and relationship on said playing surface.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said bar-shaped unit is substantially cylindrical in shape and is composed of a plurality of separate longitudinal sections of sectorial cross-section, each of said longitudinal sections having a longitudinal rounded surface and one to two flat surfaces.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein said bar-shaped unit of cylindrical form is composed of a pair of matching half-cylinders, each flat half-cylinder having a longitudinal flat surface, a longitudinal rounded surface, and two ends, said rounded surface having said score indicia thereon, the half-cylinders being assembled along said flat sides to form a whole cylinder.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein at least one end of each of said separate longitudinal sections is resilient to endwise impact.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein each of said resilient ends is loaded to encourage end landing of said sections on said playing surface and thus promote bouncing thereof.

6. A hand-held game device consisting of an assembled prism for each hand of a player who slashingly strikes said prisms together, simultaneously releases his grip thereupon, and reads his score, each assembled prism of substantially cylindrical shape and being composed of a plurality of separate longitudinal sections of equal length, characterized in that at least one of the ends of each of said longitudinal sections is resilient to endwise impact upon a playing surface and each resilient end is loaded to encourage endwise landing of said longitudinal sections upon said playing surface to promote bouncing thereof, each section having:

A. sufficient length to project slightly beyond the player's hand when grasped about mid-length; B. a cross-section of each separate longitudinal section which is polygonal to sectorial; C. at least one longitudinally disposed outer surface; D. one to two longitudinally disposed flat inner surfaces, by means of which said plurality of sections are mated to form said prism, which are defined by planes radiating from the longitudinal axis of said prism; and

E. scoring indicia on at least one of said surfaces.

7. The game device of claim 6 wherein each of said resilient ends is constructed with rubber loaded with a heavy pigment.

8. The game device of claim 7 wherein said heavy pigment is selected from the group consisting of barytes and a metal powder. 

1. A method of playing a game comprising the steps of: A. each player in succession grasping in each hand one barshaped unit adapted to be held in the hand with its ends projecting at most several inches, each said bar-shaped unit being composed of a plurality of separate longitudinal sections of polygonal to sectorial cross-section and each of said longitudinal sections having:
 1. one or two flat longitudinal surfaces defined by planes radiating from the longitudinal axis of said bar-shaped unit, whereby said longitudinal sections of each of said bar-shaped unit are assembled along said flat surfaces into said barshaped unit, and
 2. a score indicia on at least one surface thereof, B. each player in succession striking said units together and propelling both of said units onto a flat playing surface whereby the longitudinal sections of each bar-shaped unit are arranged in chance relationship on said flat playing surface, and C. scoring the game by adding up the score indicia on any surfaces of said longitudinal sections in a pre-agreed scoring position and relationship on said playing surface.
 2. a score indicia on at least one surface thereof, B. each player in succession striking said units together and propelling both of said units onto a flat playing surface whereby the longitudinal sections of each bar-shaped unit are arranged in chance relationship on said flat playing surface, and C. scoring the game by adding up the score indicia on any surfaces of said longitudinal sections in a pre-agreed scoring position and relationship on said playing surface.
 2. The method of claim 1 wherein said bar-shaped unit is substantially cylindrical in shape and is composed of a plurality of separate longitudinal sections of sectorial cross-section, each of said longitudinal sections having a longitudinal rounded surface and one to two flat surfaces.
 3. The method of claim 2 wherein said bar-shaped unit of cylindrical form is composed of a pAir of matching half-cylinders, each flat half-cylinder having a longitudinal flat surface, a longitudinal rounded surface, and two ends, said rounded surface having said score indicia thereon, the half-cylinders being assembled along said flat sides to form a whole cylinder.
 4. The method of claim 1 wherein at least one end of each of said separate longitudinal sections is resilient to endwise impact.
 5. The method of claim 4 wherein each of said resilient ends is loaded to encourage end landing of said sections on said playing surface and thus promote bouncing thereof.
 6. A hand-held game device consisting of an assembled prism for each hand of a player who slashingly strikes said prisms together, simultaneously releases his grip thereupon, and reads his score, each assembled prism of substantially cylindrical shape and being composed of a plurality of separate longitudinal sections of equal length, characterized in that at least one of the ends of each of said longitudinal sections is resilient to endwise impact upon a playing surface and each resilient end is loaded to encourage endwise landing of said longitudinal sections upon said playing surface to promote bouncing thereof, each section having: A. sufficient length to project slightly beyond the player''s hand when grasped about mid-length; B. a cross-section of each separate longitudinal section which is polygonal to sectorial; C. at least one longitudinally disposed outer surface; D. one to two longitudinally disposed flat inner surfaces, by means of which said plurality of sections are mated to form said prism, which are defined by planes radiating from the longitudinal axis of said prism; and E. scoring indicia on at least one of said surfaces.
 7. The game device of claim 6 wherein each of said resilient ends is constructed with rubber loaded with a heavy pigment.
 8. The game device of claim 7 wherein said heavy pigment is selected from the group consisting of barytes and a metal powder. 